Valve for well point systems



Sept. 9' B. SHARE 2,213,680-

VALVE FOR WELL POINT SYSTEMS Filed Dec. 8, 1939 l. I 25 f9 r u a i F- T119. 3.

INVENTOR. .BflRNE TT 6344a:

A TTORNE Y5 Patented Sept. 3, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- VALVE FOR WELL POINT SYSTEMS Barnett Share, Jamaica Estates, N. Y.

Application December 8, 1939, Serial No. 308,115

2 Claims. (Cl. 251-475) This invention relates to improvements in well point systems and has particular reference to a valve construction for the header pipe of such a system.

Heretofore, it has been common practice to employ either globe valves or gas cocks in the header of a well point system in order to control the flow of liquid from the well points sunk into the soil to said header, there being one of said valves individual to each well point. With the types of valves mentioned, the valve openings therein are generally smaller'than the inlet and outlet ports and therefore the flow through the valves is necessarily restricted. Furthermore, it is a well-known fact that considerable leakage, with a consequent loss of vacuum, occurs with said types of valves after they have been in use for a comparatively short time, which loss is due to the valve seats becoming pitted or scarred by sand and gravel, or the like, which is drawn into the well point and thence through the header during operation of the system.

The present invention is designed to overcome the above difiiculties by providing an improved valve of simple and practical construction which will permit of a free, unrestricted flow of liquid from a well point into a header, and which will adequately serve to prevent loss of vacuum by providing, in both the open and closed positions of the valve, a positive shut off for preventing the admission of air into the header at said valve.

The inventive idea involved is capable of receiving a variety of mechanical expressions one of which, for purposes of illustration, is shown in the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary elevation of a well point system showing the improvedvalve incorporated therein.

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section through the valve in its open position.

Figure 3 is a similar view showing the valve in its closing position, and

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Referring more particularly to the accompanying drawing, the numeral 5 indicates a header of a well point system to which is connected the usual suction pump (not shown), and which is also connected to a series of well points one of which is conventionally indicated at 6 with its upper end joined, by a pipe 1, to the valve of the present invention, generally indicated by the numeral 8, and which is individual to the well point connected thereto.

Each of the valve structures 8 comprises a cylindrical casing 9 provided intermediate its ends with a laterally extending, externally screw threaded nipple I which forms an inlet port adapted for connection with the associated well point through a coupling H, for the admission ofliquid from said point into the body portion of the Valve casing. The lower end of the casing 9 is also externally screw threaded for connection to the header 5 and forms an outlet port [2 which communicates with the inlet port to per 10 mit a flow of the liquid into the header when said outlet port is open. At the inner end of the port l2 the casing 9 is provided with an annular valve seat 13 which may be supplemented by a plurality of inwardly directed lugs M. The upper 16 or head portion of the casing 9 is in longitudinal alignment with the lower portion thereof and is internally threaded to receive a bushing I5 which acts as a bearing or guide for the vertically movable stem portion of an expansible valve 16 20 which is adjustable from open to closing positions relative to the intercommunicating inlet and out let ports of the valve casing. Said valve is made of rubber or other resilient material and is laterally expansible in either of its positions, in a manner to later appear, and when it is in the open position of Figure 2, said valve is recessed within the upper or head portion of the casing so that it will be substantially offset from the inlet portand will thus permit of a free, unrestricted flow of the liquid from the well point into the casing and through the outlet port l2 into the header 5. When in its lower or closing position, a part of the valve will rest upon the seat l3 and lugs 14 which will also act as a stop 5 to limit the downward movement of the valve, and, in this position, the valve IE will shut oii communication between the well point and header should it be desired to temporarily disconnect these elements for purposes of repair or otherwise. During adjustment of the valve 16 to either of its positions, the same is in a normal or unexpanded state in which the diameter thereof is such that said valve may be freely moved from one position of adjustment to the other. However, when the valve i6 is expanded laterally by compression, as will later appear, the circumferential surface of the valve will be jammed tightly against the interior wall of the casing at the position of adjustment and will therefore effectively prevent leakage ofair past the valve. In the event that any small obstruction such as sand or gravel should become wedged between the valve l6 and the wall of the casing 9 during a pumping operation, said particles will not cause I 5 1 same so that it will expand laterally in said posileakage as in the ordinary type of valves used in the systems, because the valve I6 will expand around these particles so that they will be, in effect, embedded in the surface of the valve; and should the wall of the casing become pitted or scarred by such particles, the valve I 6 will expand into the mutilated portion of the wall and thus close the same.

The means for adjusting the valve I6 to open and closing positions and for compressing the tions, comprises a valve stem I! the lower portion of which extends through a central opening in the valve I6, and is provided with a. key I8 engageable in a corresponding groove I9 in said valve so as to prevent'relative turning movements between the parts. At the lower extremity of the valve stem I! the same is provided with a compression plate engageable with the lower end of the valve I6 and provided with studs 2| which embed themselves in the valve. The upper end of the valve stem is screw threaded, as indicated at 22, for receiving a hand wheel 23 which is utilized for the purpose of raising and lowering the valve and also for compressing the same, as will presently appear. Encircling the intermediate portion of the valve stem I1 and extending into the valve casing through the bushing I5 is a sleeve 24 the upper end of which is abutted by the central hub portion 25 of the wheel 23 while the lower end terminates in a compression plate 26, similar'to the plate 20, for engagement with the upper end of the valve I6. In order to prevent turning movement of the sleeve 24 in the bushing I5 the same are provided with opposed and interengaging ribs and grooves 21 and 28, respectively, as best shown in Figure 4.

Assuming that the valve I6 has just been adjusted to the open position of Figure 2 in which unrestricted communication between the well point and the header is provided, and that it is desired to expand the valve I6 into engagement with the wall of, the casing so that leakage of air fromthe outside of the valve through the upper or head portion of the valve casing is prevented, the hand wheel 23 is turned so as to move the compression plate 20 upwardly toward the plate 26 which is now seated against the inner end of the bushing I5. As the plate 20 is thus relatively adjusted, it Will be apparent that thevalve I6 will be compressed longitudinally and consequent ly expanded laterally into tight engagement with the wall of the casing. To close communication" between the inlet and outlet ports of the casing, the hand wheel 23 is first loosed so as to move the valve stem I1 and its plate 20 downwardly and thus permit the valve I6 to restore to its normal contracted position. Downward pressure 2,21s,oso

upon the wheel 23 will then bodily move the valve I6, together with its stem I1 and sleeve 24, downwardly to the position of Figure 3, whereupon the wheel 23 may again be turned'to compress the valve I6 between the two compression plates, the plate 26, in this instance, being moved downwardly relative to the plate 20 which is then resting upon the seat I3. As a consequence, the valve I6 is again expanded laterally into engagement with thewall of the casing and the header 5 will be effectively shut off from the well point individual to the operated valve, as indicated at the middle valve in Figure 1 and also in Figure 3.

What is claimed is: I, 1. In a valve structure for use on the header of a well point system, a casing having inlet and outlet ports, an expansible valve in said casing movable to open and closed positions relative to said ports, a bushing in said casing, a sleeve keyed in said bushing for only/sliding movements therethrough and terminating at one end in a compression plate engaging one end of said valve and also engageable with said bushing in the open position of said valve, a valve stem slidable in,

said sleeve and keyed to said valve, said stem also having a compression plate engaging the end of said valve opposite its first named end, said sleeve and stem having sliding movements relative to each other in opposite directions in difierent positions of adjustment of said valve, and means to relatively slide said stem and sleeve to compress said valve.

2. In a valve structure for use on the header of a well point system, a casing having inlet and outlet ports, an expansible valve in said casing movable to open and closed positions relative to said ports, a bushing in said casing, a sleeve keyed in said bushing for only sliding movements therethrough and terminating at one end in a compression plate engaging one end of said valve and also engageable with said bushing in the open position of said valve, a valve stem slidable in said sleeve and keyed to 'said valve, said stem also having a compression plate engaging the end of said valve opposite its first-named end, andfurther having a screw threaded portion projecting beyond said sleeve, said stem and sleeve having sliding movements relative to each other in opposite directions in different positions of adjustment of said valve, and an operating element threaded on the projecting portion of said stem in contact with the adjacent end of said sleeve and operable to slide said stem in one direction relative to said sleeve and to slide the latter in the opposite direction relative to said stem when said valve is in its openedand closed positions, respectively.

BARNETT SHARE. 

